what is the reason to have a dedicated alarm setup in parallel to LinuxMCE?

It's reasonable. Because it can work (in worst case) without LinxuMCE. It's good to have just integration between two systems. We have one installation with dedicated lighting/security system. It works as a stand-alone system when LinuxMCE is down. Also, there are some devices such gate drive which should have possibility to stop immediately them if somebody is near them.

LinuxMCE is not stable and secure enough to be trusted as the only security system?!

Or did I misinterpret your statements?

As I see you can trust to controller with real time OS inside and minimum applications only. LinuxMCE is good but it's run on PC which can crash by some reason. So, that's why IMHO it'd better to use separate trusted system at least for security and just integrate it with LMCE using GSD, for example.

LinuxMCE is not stable and secure enough to be trusted as the only security system?!

Or did I misinterpret your statements?

yes :-) Some insurances request special certifications. We don't have them. And imagine you wan't to hook up 50-70 sensors to your house. A panel is a nice interface for that. You can daisy chain them on the alarm bus. They can draw power, have intelligence and constantly talk with the panel to prevent tampering.

I for my part don't use a panel. I use a Z-Wave PIR for the security system. Not the highest level of security. But hey, I don't have a Picasso in my bedroom. But isn't it nice to have choice?

LinuxMCE is not stable and secure enough to be trusted as the only security system?!

Or did I misinterpret your statements?

yes :-) Some insurances request special certifications. We don't have them. And imagine you wan't to hook up 50-70 sensors to your house. A panel is a nice interface for that. You can daisy chain them on the alarm bus. They can draw power, have intelligence and constantly talk with the panel to prevent tampering.

I for my part don't use a panel. I use a Z-Wave PIR for the security system. Not the highest level of security. But hey, I don't have a Picasso in my bedroom. But isn't it nice to have choice?

best regards,Hari

I agree... it depends on your needs and as Hari says your Insurers! Sometimes you need an approved alarm panel to meet insurance requirements. But that panel can still interface to LinuxMCE. In other circumstances where the the security side of LinuxMCE is not central to why the system is of interest to you adding some security capability via Z-wave is just a nice ancillary benefit.

Hey guys, I've been attempting to create a device template for my Honeywell Vista-15P alarm panel for some time now and have obtained the source code from a guy who got it working with Homeseer using the same VistaICM module that I am. Would anyone be willing to take a look over this for me and help me get this going...I've been struggling for upwards of 6 months and I just can't get my head around it. I'm afraid I'm going to need spoonfed on this one.

Log into Web Admin>Devices Interfaces>Add Device>I added the manufacturer "Honeywell" and selected itDevice Category "Interfaces"Add device templateI then chose "It's a simple, generic serial device controlled by RS232, Ethernet or USB, which you'll control with Pluto's GSD and embedded Ruby snippets (very easy). Examples: Lighting control, alarm panels, surveillance cameras, thermostats, weather stations, a/v equipment with RS232 ports, etc." and listed the model number as "Vista-15P" and clicked Add.I did not choose a room for the device and chose "CORE" from the controlled by dropdown.Now I click on Advanced and input the IP Address of my device "192.168.80.114" under device infoMy next step was to click View in the Device template fieldI added the Controlled Via Device as "Computers" like the apex templateNow I check the Is IP Based box and select Ethernet as my Comm MethodUnder Device data I added "TCP Port" added that comment "Port to connect to" set a default value of 80 and check both Required and Allowed to Modify. I also added "TCP Address", set the comment "IP Address" left the default value blank and check both Required and Allowed to Modify.Then under Commands I added "Security Panel" and "Ruby Internal Commands"Under Events I added "Reporting Child Devices" and "Sensor Tripped"

This is as far as I've gotten and I have no idea what to do next. I obtained the source code for a Homeseer plugin that was written to interface with this device if that helps, however I was unable to really understand what it's doing. That source code is attached.